Electrical musical instrument



April 1963 A. lO RlO 3,084,584

ELECTRICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Jan. 16, 1961 e Sheets- Sheet 1 FIG.I

Amedeo lorio INVENTOR.

AGENT.

April 9, 1963 A. IORIO 3,084,584

ELECTRICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Jan. 16 1961 s Sheets-Sheet s FIG.4

Amedeo Iorio INVENTOR.

BY W

AGENT.

April 9, 1963 A. IORIO ELECTRICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Amedeo Iorio INVENTOR.

E t: 9: 3r T E M FAME AGENT.

April 9, 1963 A. loRlO 3,034,534

7 ELECTRICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Jan. 16, 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Amedeo lorio INV EN TOR.

AGENT.

April 9, 1963 A. lORlO 3,084,584

ELECTRICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Jan. 16, 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 IN VEN TOR:

Amedeo Iorio BY W AGENT United States Patent ()fi ice 3,084,584 Patented Apr. 9, 1963 s,as4,ss4 ELECTRECAL MUSIQAL INSTRUls iENT America Iorio, 164-493 Clayton Road, Jamaica 33, N.Y.

Filed Jan. 16, 1961, Ser. N0. 83,069

3 Qiaims. (Cl. 341.17)

My present invention relates to an improved electrical musical instrument and, more particularly, to an accordion-organ combination.

Musical-instrument system devised heretofore and based upon accordions or other key-operated instruments were merely awkward and bulky aggregations of individual instruments operated from a common keyboard or electrically and/or mechanically linked for more or less simultaneous actuation to produce various effects. Such systems were generally unwieldy and often could not produce a wide range of tonal effects.

In is, therefore, and object of my invention to provide a greatly improved and compact musical-instrument system, adapted to produce a wide range of tonal effects, which may comfortably and conveniently be operated by a single individual.

Another object of my invention is to provide a musical instrument having the tone qualities of a wide-range organ and the versatility and ease of handling of an accordion.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a portable musical instrument adapted selectively to produce the musical elfects on an accordion and an organ, either alone or in combination.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an accordion whose range and tonal qualities are reinforced by suitable organ chords or overtones and which may be played by a single person.

According to a feature of the invention, the instrument comprises an accordion whose valve-operating bass and treble keys are each provided with switch means operatively connected to suitable tone generators and amplifier means for producing tones complementing those of the accordion upon the actuation of one or more of the keys. The accordion is, advantageously, provided with suitable cut-off means for selectively inactivating one or more groups of accordion reeds, whereby manipulation of the valve keys associated with the cut-off groups will actuate the tone generators to produce only organ tones corresponding to the depressed keys while operation of the keys associated with the remaining groups produces both the organ tones and the corresponding accordion notes or chords. More specifically, I propose to provide the accordion with means for inactivating the reeds of either the bass or the treble keyboard so that only the organ tones associated with the inactivated accordion keys may be merged with the accordion and organ tones of the other keys to produce the tonal effect of an organ accompanied by either the bass or the treble clef of an accordion. I prefer, therefore, to provide both the left-hand and the right-hand keyboard with respective slide shutters mechanically coupled with a master control and adapted to close all of the vents acted upon by the valves of the respective clefs. The master control may be a bar similar to those which are conventionally used to produce different tonal effects in the accordion upon the actuation of one or more keys and which may be termed accordion stops. These stops operate individual ones of the ventclosure shutters or combinations thereof.

According to a more specific feature of the invention, the instrument is,in addition, provided with cut-off means for selectively inactivating either the bass or the treble registers of the tone generators, which are controlled by the accordion keyboards, to permit the accordion to be played without the super-imposition of organ tones from one or both of the organ registers upon those of the accordion.

While it is possible to mount the organ stops on the tone-generator cabinet, the stops are, according to another aspect of the invention, provided directly on the accordion frame and are, advantageously, subdivided into bass and treble stops which are disposed adjacent the bass and treble keyboards of the accordion for operation by the left and right hands, respectively. According to a preferred circuit arrangement for the instrument, the tone generators produce signals of predetermined frequency which are fed via switches operated by the keys of the melody (right-hand or treble keyboard) or switches operated by the keys of the accompaniment (left-hand or bass keyboard) through suitable tone filters in the organ cabinet and thence via the stop switches to an amplifier. So that only a minimum number of leads are required in the cables connecting the accordion with the tone-generator assembly and to avoid interference and feedback between leads carrying different frequencies, I prefer to terminate the outputs of the key-operated switches in bus bars extending through the bass and treble frame portions of the accordion. Each of the melody keys operates at least three switches adapted to feed a signal of the principal frequency and suboctave and superoctave signals (one octave below and one octave above the principal frequency, respectively) to the principal, suboctave and superoctave bus bars. The treble section of the accordion is thus provided with at least three bus bars while the bass section may be provided with a lesser number, prefarably a single bus bar, at which the bass switches terminate. Each of the leads entering the keyboard sections of the accordion is provided with a series resistor adapted to isolate the switches and to prevent feedback from the mixed output to the pre-amplifier.

The outputs of the bass and treble tone filters are mixed via the organ-stop switches and fed to the amplifiers).

According to another feature of the invention, the organ- I stop switches of the bass and treble registers are operated by the accordion-stop bars which shift the vent shutters while parallel-operating switches, also actuated from the keyboards of the instrument, may be operated to produce desired chordal overtones to avoid the need for simultaneous operation of an organ stop and a correlated accordion stop. The note and stop switches may be conventional normally open contact switches while the above-mentioned parallel-operating switches are, advantageously, p-ush-to-close and push-to-open switches. The grilles of the bass and treble sections are advantageously provided withindividually controlled microphones which are connected to a common amplifier which is also fed by the tone-generator and filter outputs so that the amplified accordion tones may, if desired, be equal in amplitude to the organ tones. It is also possible to provide independently operable volume controls for the accordion pick-up microphones and for the organ tones so that the relative amplitudes of accordion and organ tones may be adjusted.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of my present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a musical instrument according to the invention, illustrating the accordion and tone-generator units and an amplifier therefor;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the accordion bass-keyboard frame section with the reed assembly removed to show the vents;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top-plan view of thebass keyboard sec- 36 tion with the key assembly removed showing the valves and key switches;

FIG. is a cross-sectional view taken along line V- V of FIG.. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the vents of the treble section;

FIG. 7 is a top-plan view of the accordion stops adapted to operate the treble-vent shutters;

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view through the treble keyboard showing the key-operated switches thereof;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view through a stop tablet showing one of the stop bars and illustrating its switch members;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another accordion unit forming part of an instrument according to the invention; and

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram for the latter accordion unit.

In FIG. 1 I show a musical instrument which comprises an accordion unit 100 whose treble or melody keyboard 110 and bass or accompaniment key-board 120 are provided with switch means, as described hereinafter, adapted to operate a tone-generator unit 10. The organ tones produced by the generator unit 10 and the tones mechanically produced by the accordion unit 100 are amplified by the amplifier unit and radiated from a conventional loudspeaker 383. The accordion unit 100 is shown, by way of example, to be connected to the amplifier unit 20 by a multi-wire cable 101 while the tone generator 10 is connected thereto via another multi-wire cable 11. The entire system is connected to a source of electric current via a line cable 12. A pair of foot-operated volume controls 14 and 21 are connected respectively to the tone-generator unit 10 and the amplifier '20 to control the amplitudes of the organ tones generated in unit 10 and the accordion tones emitted by the loudspeaker which, for compactness, is built into the tone-generator unit 10.

The tone generator 10 is shown to be provided with base tone controls 15 and treble controls 16, on-olf toggle switches 17 and volume-control potentiometer 18. The accordion unit 100 is equipped with an array of accordion stops 130, which control the vent shutters of the treble keyboard 110, and an array of bass stops 150, which control the shutters of the bass keyboard 120. The accordion frame sections are also provided with organ stops 140.

The bass stops 150 (FIGS. 2 and 3) comprise three or more conventional spring-biased stop flaps 165 which are mechanically linked to respective pivots 166 whose eccentric pins 167 engage the projections 163 of one or more slides 162 to reciprocate the latter. The slides 162 are each pivotally connected, via an extension rod 159, to one extremity of a lever 158, fulcrumed at 161 to the accordion frame 151, whose other extremity is hinged to one or more slide shutters 156 adapted to close the vents 153 of the bass keyboard 120. The shutters 156 slide between two apertured plates 152, 154 whose openings are aligned and against which a reed assembly, not shown, may be locked between the blocks 170, 171. The conventional stops 165 generally include a master, adapted to open all of the vents 153, and at least two other stops adapted to unblock one or another row of vent openings. It is customary to leave at least one and preferably two rows of vents 153 unblocked in all actuated positions of the shutters 156 controlled by the flaps 165. I have found that when the accordion keys are utilized to operate a tone generator or organ, it is often desirable to provide means for cutting 011 the operation of either the bass or the treble reeds so that one set of keys will operate only the tone generator to produce exclusively organ tones while the other set of keys continues to produce both organ and accordion tones. For this purpose, I provide an additional stop bar 175 which also operates a pivot 166 to reciprocate the slides 162 to a position in which all of the vent openings are closed, thereby inactivating the reed assembly associated with this set of vent openings. When the off stop bar 175 is actuated, therefore, the keys of the bass section may be operated to produce only organ tones as described hereinafter.

A similar arrangement is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 for the treble stops 130 of accordion 100. In addition to the conventional stop flaps 131 generally disposed adjacent the treble keyboard 110, I provide an additional flap 132 adapted to close all of the shutters 133, thereby blocking the vents 134 of the treble keyboard whose reed assembly is not shown. Each of the flaps 131, 132 operates a respective pivot 135 to reciprocate the slides 136 and their rods 137 which, as described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, are pivotally connected to the shift levers 138. The latter are hinged to their respective shutters 133. The master stop flaps (two of them having been provided) open all of the vents 134 in the conventional manner while the other stop flaps, with the exception of the off flap 132, selectively unblock one or another row of vent holes. When the off flap 132 is actuated, all of the vents 134 are closed to permit the operation of the treble keys to produce only organ tones while the bass keys 120 may be operated to produce both organ and accordion tones as the bellows of the accordion is pumped in the usual manner.

The note-producing switches of the bass and treble keyboards 120, 110 may be commercially available momentary-make switches adapted to be depressed by the keys or contact switches coupled to the valves operated by the keys. In FIGS. 4 and 5 I show a particularly effective construction of the bass switches. The bass valves each comprise two blocks 102, 103 adapted to cover five vent openings 153 and carried by respective rods 104, 105 which are pivoted at 106, 107 along the longitudinal edges of the vent plate 108. Each of the blocks 102 is provided with a rigid contact 111, electrically connected to a bus bar 113 which extends the length of the keyboard 120 along the longitudinal edges of the vent plate 108 While the blocks 103 are each provided with a further contact conductively connected to the bus bar 113. Each of the contacts 111 and 115 is adapted to engage a respective flexible contact 116, 118 in the open condition of the valve. Thus, upon actuation of one of the note keys of the bass keyboard 120 mechanically linked to a valve block 102 touncover its three vent openings 153, contacts 111 and 116 are closed to feed an electrical signal whose frequency is characterized by the actuated key, from the tone generator 10 to the bus bar 113. Upon actuation of one of the keys operative'ly linked to a valve block 103, the latter block and block 102, whose rod 104 is entrained thereby, are elevated to uncover a full set of five vent openings 153 and to close two sets of contacts 111, 116 and 113, 118, thereby feeding two signals spaced apart by an octave into the bus bar 113, as described below. Each contact 116, 118 is connected in series with an isolating resistor 109 adapted to reduce interference between leads carrying different frequencies and is fed from a frequency divider of the generator which supplies an electrical signal of predetermined frequency, the signal being combined in bus bar 113 to produce the fundamental and its harmonies. The circuit arrangement and operation of the accordion will be more specifically described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

In FIG. 8 I show the treble keyboard 110, each of whose keys is pivoted on a rod 191 and is mechanically coupled to its valve block in the conventional manner. The key 190 is provided with a projection 192 adapted to close the six leaf contacts of a three-pole switch 117. Each set of switch contacts is connected in series with an isolating resistor 109.

While the organ stops illustrated in the system of FIG. 1 are shown to be carried by the tone-generator cabinet 10, I have found that it is possible to correlate all or certain of the conventional organ stops with the accordion stops and thus conveniently to operate the organ stops from the keyboard frame of the accordion. Thus, the stop panel on the tone generator may be eliminated entirely or supplemented with suitable stop switches disposed on the accordion body. I prefer to provide each of the keyboard frame sections with an array of organ stop switches and, in addition, to provide the accordion stop flaps with switch means for producing organ tones individually or in combination and activating the corresponding stops.

In FIG. I show an accordion unit 200, which is generally similar to the unit 100 previously described, provided with a treble or melody keyboard 210 and a bass keyboard 220 on the treble frame section 211 and the bass frame section 221 of the accordion between which the bellows 260 is sandwiched. An array of treble accordion stop flaps 2311 and an off flap 232 are disposed adjacent the keyboard 210 on the frame section 211 parallel to an array of organ-stop switches 233 and an organ ofl switch 234. Another array of accordion stops 251 is disposed on the bass section 221 adjacent the keyboard 220 and parallel to an array of bass organ stops 253. The bass section is also provided with an accordion bass oif flap 252 and an organ off switch 254 as described with reference to the treble section. Each of the frame sections 211, 221 is provided with a microphone 212, 222 adapted to pick up mechanically produced accordion tones and to feed an amplifier.

Each of the stop flaps 231 is identical with the flaps 131 illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 and is provided with switch means as shown in FIG. 9. The flap 231 is pivoted on a pin 235 and is mechanically linked to the vent shutters of keyboard 210 as described with reference to FIG. 6. A leaf spring 236 restores the bar flap when another key is depressed. The flap 231 is provided with a pin 237 adapted to close the normally open leaf contacts 238 of a three-pole switch 331 against each other and against a common output contact 240; it is releasably maintained in its depressed position by a leaf spring 232. The latter engages a recess and holds the flap 231 in its depressed position until the countervailing force of spring 236, which is brought to bear thereagainst by the depression of another flap, restores it to its unactuated position.

In FIG. 11 I show a circuit diagram adapted to facilitate understanding of the operation of the system incorporating the accordion unit 200. The system includes a tone-generator unit 10 which comprises twelve tone generators 310, each adapted to produce one note of a twelve-tone scale. The tone generators 310 each include (as illustrated in the tone generator adapt-ed to produce the note C) a master oscillator 311 adapted to produce the highest C frequency desired, a buffer amplifier 312 in series therewith and adapted to isolate the master oscillator from feed back detuning effects, and a plurality of frequency dividers 313316, each adapted to halve its input frequency, connected in cascade. Each of the tone generators 310 thus provides five output frequencies spaced an octave apart and characteristic of a predetermined musical note.

Each of the tone-generator outputs is fed via the keyoperated switches of keyboards 210 and 220 to the appropriate bus bars 331, 332' and 333' of the treble section and the sole bus bar 334 of the bass section. Each of the switches 317 of the treble section is a three-pole switch of the type described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 while the switches 327 and 327' of the bass section 220 are, respectively, oneand two-pole switches of similar construction. Three key-operated switches 3.17 are associated with each tone generator 310 and the following description of these switches with special reference 6 to those associated with the A-note generator will be understood to be applicable to the others.

The oscillator of generator 310A is assumed to be tuned to an output frequency of 1760 c.p.s. which is the note K appearing at the lead A The frequency-divider outputs A4-A1 are the notes K, A, A and A with respective frequencies of 880, 440, 220 and c.p.s. When the Low-A key 317A is depressed, the lowest principal frequency 220 c.p.s. (A), its suboctave frequency 110 c.p.s. (A) and its super octave frequency 440 c.p.s. (A)

are impressed on the principal-frequency bus-bar 332 and the suboctave and superoctave bus bars 333" and 331', respectively. Similarly, upon the actuation of the Middle- A switch 317A, a middle range of frequencies is fed to the bus bars. The middle range includes the principal frequency of 440 c.p.s. (A) and its suboctave and superoctave frequencies 220 c.p.s. (A) and 880 c.p.s. (K) which are fed to their respective bus bars. The actuation of the High-A key 317K likewise impresses the principal frequency of 880 c.p.s. (K) upon the principal-frequency bus 'bar 332' and the suboctave and superoctave frequencies of 440 c.p.s. (A) and 1760 c.p.s. (K) upon the suboctave and superoctave bus bars 333 and 331, respectively.

The bass-note switches 327 and 327 impress the lowestfrequency output (e.g. A and the two lowest-frequency outputs (e.g. A and A) of each generator on the single bass bus bar 334.

The bus bars 331 to 334' feed respective amplifiers 335 to 338 which are, in turn, connected to supply the tone filter circuits generally designated 340; the latter may be the conventional electronic-organ tone-filter networks. The bass tone-filter outputs may then be the usual bass organ stops, i.e. Aeoline 8', Flute 8, Dulciana 8, Diapason 8 and Trumpet 8'. The treble tone-filter outputs are suitably Salicet 2', Flute 4, Clarinet 8, Melodia 8', English Horn 8', French Horn 8, Dulciana 16' and Bourdon 16. The length designation (in feet) in the appellation of each stop indicates, of course, the relative pitch of the several stops.

The bass filter outputs are fed to the preamplifier 381 via a set of contact switches 351, which are operated by the bass accordion stop tflaps 251, and/or via another set of switches 353 which are connected in parallel with the switches 351 and are operated by the organ-stop buttons 253 (FIG. 9). The switches 353 are, advantageously, of a push-to-close and push-to-open type. The organ bass off switch 354, which is connected in series with both sets of switches 351, 353, is operated by the pushbutton 254.

The treble filter outputs are similarly fed into preamplifier 381 through the single or multiple-pole contact switches 331 (of a construction described with reference to switch 117 in FIG. 8), which are operated by the accordion treble stop bars 231, and/or another set of switches 333 which are operated by the organ-stop buttons 233. The switches 331, operated by the accordion stop flaps, may combine two or more of the treble tone-filter outputs to produce various organ overtones for the accordion melody being played simultaneously. An organ treble off switch 334, operable by the keyboard pushbutton 234, is connected in series with the switches 331, 333 and the preamplifier 381. The latter feeds the power amplifier 382 which energizes the loudspeaker 383. The accordion pick-up microphones 212 and 222 are connected via respective switches 385, 386 to the preamplifier 381.

In operation, the accordion may be played in a conventional manner merely by cutting olf the organ-generated tones by means of bass and treble cut-off switches 354, 334. If it is desired to provide treble, bass or complete organ overtones for the accordion, one of the switches 334, 354 or both are actuated. The conventional use of the accordion stop flaps 23.1, 251 will complete one or more circuits between the tone filters and the preamplifier to produce organ tones complementary to those of the accordion. For convenience, the contact switch 331m, operated by the master accordion stop flap, supplies at least one signal of each pitch (2, 4, 8, and 16) to the preamplifier 381. Either the bass or the treble clef of the organ may be played without the corresponding mechanically produced accordion tones merely by operating the appropriate oil flap 252, 232.

:It should be noted that I have provided an instrument wherein all of the accordion note keys may operate the tone-generator unit 10 to produce corresponding organ tones.

The invention described and illustrated is believed to admit of many modifications and variations which will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art and which are deemed to be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Thus, for example, the six contacts shown in FIG. 8 could be replaced by two sets of coplanar Wire springs as illustrated in FIG. 1 of my co-pending application Ser. No. 835,020, filed August 20, 1959, now Patent No. 3,052,147.

I claim:

1. In a musical instrument, in combination, an accordion unit having a bass keyboard and a treble keyboard, tone-producing means associated with each of said keyboards for producing accordion tones upon the actuation of a key of either of said keyboards, a tone-generator unit operatively connected to said accordion unit, said accordion unit being provided with switch means operable from each of said keyboards for energizing said tonegenerator unit to produce organ tones blending with said accordion tones, independently operable cut-oft means at each of said keyboards for selectively inactivating a respective one of said tone-producing means whereby keys of the keyboard associated with said one of said toneproducing means may be actuated to produce only organ tones, an array of organ stops on one ofsaid units adapted to energize said tone-generator unit, said organ stops including a set of bass organ stops disposed on said accordion unit adjacent said bass keyboard and a set of treble organ stops disposed on said accordion unit adjacent said treble keyboard.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said tone-producing means each include an array of pneumatically vibrated reeds, a vent plate adjacent said array provided with vent openings registering with said reeds, and valve means selectively operable by the keys of a respective one of said keyboards, each of said cut-off means comprising shutter means on a respective one of said plates and a manually operable actuating member for reciprocating said shutter means, thereby blocking all of the vent openings of said respective one of said plates.

3. The combination according to claim 1, further comprising inactivating means adjacent each of said keyboards for selectively disabling a respective one of said sets of stops.

References @Zited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,557,133 Mork June i9, 1951 2,932,232 Minervini Apr. 12, 1960 2,971,421 Borell Feb. 14, 1961 2,983,178 Searles et al. May 9, 196 1 

1. IN A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT, IN COMBINATION, AN ACCORDION UNIT HAVING A BASS KEYBOARD AND A TREBLE KEYBOARD, TONE-PRODUCING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID KEYBOARDS FOR PRODUCING ACCORDION TONES UPON THE ACTUATION OF A KEY OF EITHER OF SAID KEYBOARDS, A TONE-GENERATOR UNIT OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID ACCORDION UNIT, SAID ACCORDION UNIT BEING PROVIDED WITH SWITCH MEANS OPERABLE FROM EACH OF SAID KEYBOARDS FOR ENERGIZING SAID TONEGENERATOR UNIT TO PRODUCE ORGAN TONES BLENDING WITH SAID ACCORDION TONES, INDEPENDENTLY OPERABLE CUT-OFF MEANS AT EACH OF SAID KEYBOARDS FOR SELECTIVELY INACTIVATING A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID TONE-PRODUCING MEANS WHEREBY KEYS OF THE KEYBOARD ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ONE OF SAID TONEPRODUCING MEANS MAY BE ACTUATED TO PRODUCE ONLY ORGAN TONES, AN ARRAY OF ORGAN STOPS ON ONE OF SAID UNITS ADAPTED TO ENERGIZE SAID TONE-GENERATOR UNIT, SAID ORGAN STOPS INCLUDING A SET OF BASS ORGAN STOPS DISPOSED ON SAID ACCORDION UNIT ADJACENT SAID BASS KEYBOARD AND A SET OF TREBLE ORGAN STOPS DISPOSED ON SAID ACCORDION UNIT ADJACENT SAID TREBLE KEYBOARD. 